11 Of The Strangest And Most Sordid Ways That Royals Have Died

By Kaleena Fraga | Edited By Jaclyn Anglis

Published November 15, 2022

Updated April 10, 2025

George Duke Of Clarence, The Royal Who Was Allegedly Drowned In Wine

National Portrait GalleryThe Duke of Clarence’s royal death was a result of the War of the Roses.

From the bloody War of the Roses came an especially shocking royal death — that of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, who was allegedly forcibly drowned in a barrel of Malmsey wine in 1478.

That complicated conflict pitted those loyal to House York against those aligned with House Lancaster, and Plantagenet, the Duke of Clarence, fell somewhere in between. Though a York by birth — he was the younger son of Richard, Duke of York, and the brother of King Edward IV — Plantagenet’s loyalties wobbled.

Apparently envious of his brother’s throne, Plantagenet frequently schemed against him. He even helped put the Lancaster King Henry VI on the throne for a second time in 1470, though he came to his brother’s aid the next year and fought to help restore Edward IV as king. Nevertheless, Edward IV soon grew suspicious.

Public Domain/Cassell’s Illustrated History of EnglandThe Duke of Clarence was allegedly executed by being drowned in wine.

Convinced that his brother sought to usurp him, Edward IV threw Plantagenet into the Tower of London. As History Collection reported, the king personally made the case of his brother’s guilt before Parliament, which agreed that the Duke of Clarence was guilty of treason.

And so, on Feb. 18, 1478, Plantagenet was put to death in the Tower of London. History Hit noted that because of his nobility, Plantagenet’s execution was conducted in private. But it didn’t take long for strange rumors about the Duke’s death to spread across England.

As the story goes, the Duke of Clarence was put to death by being drowned in a barrel of Malmsey wine. It’s possible that he was allowed to choose his method of execution, and opted to be drowned in wine as a parting shot against his brother, a well-known drinker.

But it’s also possible that Edward gave the command to drown his brother. Either way, the Duke of Clarence’s royal death is certainly one of the stranger ones in history.

author

A senior staff writer for All That's Interesting since 2021 and co-host of the History Uncovered Podcast, Kaleena Fraga graduated with a dual degree in American History and French Language and Literature from Oberlin College. She previously ran the presidential history blog History First, and has had work published in The Washington Post, Gastro Obscura, and elsewhere. She has published more than 1,200 pieces on topics including history and archaeology. She is based in Brooklyn, New York.

editor

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Jaclyn Anglis is the senior managing editor at All That's Interesting, where she has worked since 2019. She holds a Master's degree in journalism from the City University of New York and a dual Bachelor's degree in English writing and history from DePauw University. In a career that spans 11 years, she has also worked with the New York Daily News, Bustle, and Bauer Xcel Media. Her interests include American history, true crime, modern history, and science.

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Fraga, Kaleena. "From A Drug-Fueled Car Cash To A ‘Surfeit Of Lampreys,’ These Are The Strangest Royal Deaths In History." AllThatsInteresting.com, November 15, 2022, https://allthatsinteresting.com/weird-royal-deaths. Accessed July 26, 2025.